LIVING CLOSE IS IMPORTANT, BUT THE QUESTION IS WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE CLOSE TO? FOR SOME PEOPLE IT WILL BE PUBLIC TRANSPORT, FOR OTHERS IT IS THE BEACH OR THE SWAN RIVER BUT FOR EVERYBODY THERE ARE INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES ON THE MARKET.
Last week I took a drive up to Alkimos to check out the progress on what will become home to around 55,000 people. The progress is quite amazing with houses now lining streets in developments along the coast including Peet’s Shorehaven, LWP’s Trinity project, Stockland’s Amberton project and the Lend Lease/LandCorp joint venture called Alkimos Beach.
Whilst there are some who look at the development as being a long way from the CBD, the majority of people moving to Alkimos over the past couple of years came from within the City of Wanneroo according to LandCorp statistics, with over thirty per cent coming from the suburbs of Butler, Clarkson and Quinns Rocks.
One of the more interesting aspects was the option of new modularised construction which is making its debut in Shorehaven courtesy of the new BGC range. Modular construction has been used extensively in regional areas and has application in modern developments, especially where the new small lot product means that you are looking to maximise every square meter of space. You gain space because the walls, whilst well insulated, take less space than conventional housing creating more useable space on the inside. The ones I was shown can achieve up to 8 stars energy efficiency rating and the fact that they were around 300m from the beach and within a stone’s throw of the future cafe strip was an added attraction.
If public transport is the priority, the new LandCorp/Mirvac development in Claremont will help with the supply of apartments within walking distance of the train. Contemporary apartments and a small number of townhouses will be built around the Claremont Oval, with small businesses and shops along Shenton Avenue to create a lively place to live, work and socialise.
If the Swan River is your thing try the new Springs Rivervale development located just 5km from the city which will be home to 1700 people when completed or, a bit further along the river, Waters Edge, a Pindan development in Viveash.
With so much on offer it may be worthwhile braving the cold to take a peek at what’s available now and get a jump on the market uplift in spring.